Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen has Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

In 1983 at the age of 30, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease — the same cancer of the lymph system that Ethan Zohn is currently struggling with. Mr. Allen, who is now 56 years old, was successfully treated and remained disease-free for more than 25 years. Barbara Padilla, of America’s Got Talent fame, is also a survivor of Hodgkin’s Disease.

It doesn’t seem fair to have two different cancers in a lifetime, but Mr. Allen was recently diagnosed with another cancer of the lymphatic system called non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a disease that recently led to the death of The Ventures’ guitarist Bob Bogle. Mr. Allen, who is well-known for co-founding Microsoft with Bill Gates, has also backed many other science and technology projects including the Allen Institute for Brain Science in 2003.